Don the Curmudgeon's Corner

Don Houston

How To Be Kinkier: More Adventures in Adult Playtime

For the many thousands of movie reviews I’ve written over the years, even the many hundreds of sex toy critiques and other commentaries I’ve provided, I still enjoy kicking back and reading a good book. While I profess to spending more time reading technical manuals and science fiction/fantasy (as good as HBO’s “Game of Thrones” seems on television, the books are so, so much better), I have found nonfiction titles to offer something more satisfying for my personal growth. I know that many of you consider print media to be outdated and a dying relic of a bygone era (as great as the potential for the internet might be, similar claims were made during the advent of radio, motion picture shows-especially “talkies”, television, and now 3D and/or home theater; rare is the depth of a well written story matched by any of those pretenders to the throne in my mind), there is something special to the tangible nature of a book that at times defies description. For this reason, I agreed to step outside my usual movie reviewing comfort zone to look at a particularly interesting piece of literature titled “How To Be Kinkier: More Adventures in Adult Playtime”.

Sexy pictures galore (all pictures courtesy of publisher)

Written by author Morpheous, an established sex educator/photographer residing in Canada, the book is a continuation of his previous work “How To Be Kinky: A Beginner’s Guide To BDSM”, expanding the scope considerably yet never going so far that those who missed out on the initial work would be lost here. The writing style is casual and easy to read, assuming little other than a basic degree of curiosity from the reader that one would expect given the subject matter. As expected, the bulk of the material here centers on aspects of BDSM rather than the larger world of kink, the writer covering a lot of ground while still leaving ample room for all sorts of sequels.

Face Sitting can be an easy form of kink to try out

After the first chapter whets the appetite and establishes the focal point, the following chapters cover topics such as advanced sex toys, role playing, polyamorous relationships, safety, and developing broader channels in your area as well as figuring out what works best for you (via professionals in the field, for example). The book had over 300 pages of information, even a variety of web links to some splendid resources for learning more, the quality of paper and glossy (albeit soft) cover of the book appealing on a number of levels.

Costuming sometimes helps with role playing games

What sets Kinkier apart from the bulk of competitors hitting the shelves these days is a combination of factors going beyond the ease of entry into the ideas communicated though, my favorite aspects being the wealth of full color pictures included, many dozens in fact, as well as the sheer number of step by step guides to all sorts of practices, some of the best being how to fashion sex toys out of commonly available materials. Some of these required more patience than I or my partner have, such as the “How to make balloon anal beads” (28 steps), or were outside of our comfort zone such as those dealing with breath play, but others opened us both up to new possibilities you rarely see in the wide world of mainstream porn we’re used to, reminding us that there are all sorts of things to put on our sexual bucket lists as we continue to enjoy all forms of pleasure (though her desire to get me to learn the finer points of strap on dildo use, including how to put a condom on with my mouth as shown in the book, are probably fantasies she’ll have to live without for the time being).

Rope Bondage was a significant part of the book

The fact that the book is so well written that it would interest even those slightly interested in finding something more fulfilling than the stereotypical vanilla relationship is another major selling point too, opening the possibilities up for close friends to become even closer friends in a way that most porn just can’t promote. It might not be a coffee table book if you live in a bedroom community (secure in the heart of the Bible belt) but then again, some of the kinkiest folks out there engage in all sorts of activities in their private lives while acting publically chaste; who’s to say Kinkier might not help build a few bridges?

BDSM gear is less important than the ideas behind it

How To Be Kinkier also departs from the clinical viewpoint and writing style most other authors use, their dry style perhaps an attempt to distance themselves from the perception that they are somehow more “professional” by doing so, our social climate not always open to freely expressed ideas even then. Whatever the case, the plethora of models all suited me even if I’d probably enjoy seeing more “regular” people participating in future volumes or at least a wider array of body styles given there are many of us into kink are not necessarily skinny, professional models, or otherwise stereotypical of the BDSM world as displayed here.

Siren Thorn and Sandy Gabriel goofing behind the scenes of the shoot

I think the introduction by world famous sex educator/porn star Nina Hartley, herself a long time BDSM enthusiast, was a nice touch too, her summation putting readers on notice that this was not just another book to buy and leave on the shelf hitting the mark dead center. For my money, How To Be Kinkier should be considered a fine addition to anyone’s library of kink or even your library for better living, somewhere between the financial self help guides and the books on writing more effective resumes, the bottom line being that if you’re interested in having a better sex life, you won’t find a better follow up on the market at this writing for someone just learning the ropes (pun intended). As such, I wholeheartedly recommend How To Be Kinkier: More Adventures in Adult Playtime to anyone looking for something more out of their sexual life, the potential to expand your horizons in ways you only dreamed possible just too high to pass up. Kudos to Morpheous for a job well done!

My generous GF offered to pick one of these up to try new things

(My equally generous counter offer was to bring in a couple more hotties for her to use it on)

Here's one example of the instructional passages that I found so appealing